LaTeX Beginners Guide

Time for action – redefining the footnote line

We will use \renewcommand to override the default \footnoterule command:

1. Take the previous example and add the following lines to the preamble:

   \renewcommand{\footnoterule}
       {\noindent\smash{\rule[3pt]{\textwidth}{0.4pt}}}

2. Typeset and see how the line has changed:
   

What just happened?

Remember the definition of \newcommand—here it's analogous. The existing command \footnoterule will be replaced by a new definition that we wrote in the second line. The command \rule[raising]{width}{height} draws a line, here 0.4 pt thick, and as wide as the text, raised a bit by 3 pt. Through the command \smash, we let our ...